Yossi Benayoun has pledged his future to West Ham United by agreeing a new five-year contract. The Israel captain was linked with Arsenal and Liverpool during the summer after an impressive debut season in the Premiership but he insists he has never considered a move away from Upton Park and he is set to sign the new deal this week.

"I never said I wanted to leave the club. It is normal to have speculation and Liverpool and Arsenal are two big names, but I am happy at West Ham and I will sign a new contract in the next few days," the 26-year-old midfielder said. "Everything has been agreed and I will sign for five years. It shows I am very happy at the club and that the club are happy with me."

With a takeover bid thought to be pending for the club, Benayoun is excited by the possible changes at Upton Park. West Ham have outlined plans to be challenging regularly for Champions League qualification by 2011 but that timescale may be significantly reduced if mooted new owners fund signings of the quality of the Argentinian arrivals Carlos Tévez and Javier Mascherano.

"If somebody comes in with a lot of money of course it will help the team," said Benayoun. "They brought two world-class players so I think this club is going to make a big step forward."

He believes that process will begin in earnest tomorrow night at Upton Park when West Ham face European competition for the first time in seven years. The Hammers will play the Italian side Palermo, who finished eighth in Serie A last season and reached the Italian Cup semi-finals, in the Uefa Cup first round first leg.

West Ham struggled in the 1-1 draw with Aston Villa on Sunday but Benayoun is confident it will come right against the Sicilians. "This is a new thing for us now but we have a lot of confidence. If we play well we go into the Uefa Cup group stages and can build ourselves for the next few years," he said. "The team as it is now must work hard because we all want to take the club on to bigger things and I believe we have the right quality of players here who can do this.

"I watch a lot of the Italian league and I have seen them play against teams from Israel in the Uefa Cup. It will be a hard game and they are a strong side but I believe in my team and I think we are going to win. I think we can reach the group stages, and even more than that."

The former Celtic utility player Didier Agathe has signed a contract until January with Villa. The club's manager, Martin O'Neill, who worked with the Frenchman at Celtic Park, said: "He's not just here to make up the numbers. He's here because I think he has the talent and the hunger to get into our side and do a good job for us.

"He played brilliantly for a number of years at Celtic, but for whatever reason found himself out of favour. That happens sometimes but Didier still feels he has plenty to offer. He has the determination to succeed and still feels he can play at the very highest level. If he can get into the side he'll be given every chance."

Agathe, 31, can play in a number of roles, notably on the wing, and O'Neill is confident he can have a big impact at Villa Park. "He can play wide right, right wing-back and did even play at full-back for Celtic in certain games. He's naturally fit and he's very quick. When his confidence is up then he can run past most people. This is a big chance and a big challenge for Didier. I've seen the desire to meet that challenge so he's got the deal now with the chance to earn something longer term."

The Villa defender Martin Laursen wants to build on his first start in the Premiership for over a year. The 29-year-old Dane, who had been out with a knee injury, came through the draw against West Ham unscathed after being told only an hour before kick-off that he would be replacing the injured Aaron Hughes.

"I did not feel I had any problems with the knee. My form was good and so is my physical condition, so I am happy," he said. "It was the end of a long year for me.

"I felt ready and I was pleased to get the chance to start a game again. The important thing is that I am fit and can play for 90 minutes. If I have to do some different things in training during the week, that is OK. The manager is very understanding about my situation, so that's great."